Four years have now passed, which is more than enough time to look back and evaluate how the Big 12's top recruits in the class of 2011 panned out.
None of these players ended up on par with the eventual stars of that 2011 class -- Jadeveon Clowney, Sammy Watkins and Teddy Bridgewater are doing pretty well, you know -- and, in fact, only eight of these 16 ended up finishing their careers at the schools they initially signed with.
This class produced big-time Big 12 talents like Trevone Boykin, Jace Amaro, Spencer Drango and Le'Raven Clark. But they didn't crack the ESPN 150 as high schoolers. A closer look back at what happened to the ESPN 150 players who signed with Big 12 schools:
No. 7: Malcolm Brown, RB, Texas -- Brown had a hard time playing up to his five-star hype, but he gave Texas four solid seasons while sharing carries throughout. He rushed for 2,678 yards and 24 touchdowns in 44 games and twice earned second-team All-Big 12 honors. His best stretch came in the second half of 2013 (five 100-plus yard games), but O-line woes slowed Brown down as a senior and he never produced a 1,000-yard season.
No. 11: Aaron Green, RB, Nebraska -- We’ll make an exception here, since Green did end up taking his talents to the Big 12. After playing sparingly as a true freshman for the Huskers, Green transferred to TCU and finally broke out in 2014, rushing for 922 yards and closing out the season as one of the league’s most exciting backs.
No. 21: Quandre Diggs, CB, Texas -- A four-year starter and probably the most productive player of these former ESPN 150 recruits. He logged 241 tackles, 37 pass breakups and 11 interceptions as a do-everything corner/nickel who became the heart and soul of Texas’ defense.
No. 31: Desmond Jackson, DT, Texas -- Jackson has played in 41 games (16 starts) and is coming back to be one of the Longhorns’ veteran leaders in 2015. A foot injury ended his senior season after three games, but Jackson is taking a medical redshirt and will get a redo.
No. 35: Brandon Williams, RB, Oklahoma -- Despite playing as a true freshman, Williams elected to transfer from OU after less than a year in the program. He opted to play closer to home and his 2-year-old daughter at Texas A&M. In two seasons in the Aggies’ rotation of backs (including six starts in 2014), Williams has accounted for 730 total yards and five scores.
No. 51: Trey Metoyer, WR, Oklahoma -- Spent a year at prep school after failing to qualify, then arrived at OU in 2012 with serious hype. Metoyer was benched four games into his freshman year and was removed from the program in 2013 after an arrest for two counts of indecent exposure. He was arrested again last year after another indecent exposure complaint.
No. 55: Steve Edmond, LB, Texas -- A three-year starter at Texas, Edmond raised his game as a senior under Charlie Strong. He earned honorable mention All-Big 12 recognition after 131 tackles and 13 TFLs in his final season as a Longhorn. The hard-hitting middle linebacker didn’t hold back on the field or when talking about Baylor.
No. 64: Danzel Williams, RB, Oklahoma -- Bounced around between running back and defensive back and redshirted as a freshman while dealing with a shoulder injury. Williams left OU in 2012 and then resurfaced for one season at Central Arkansas.
No. 87: Josh Turner, ATH, Texas -- Turner played in 37 games in his first three seasons at Texas and made five starts at free safety. After nearly being dismissed from the program last summer, he served a two-game suspension and played on special teams in nine games as a senior.
No. 93: Sedrick Flowers, OG, Texas -- Flowers will likely be a multi-year starter for the Longhorns after holding down the left guard job for all 13 games this season. He chipped in as a reserve for two seasons and finished his sophomore year with a start in the Alamo Bowl before taking over his starting gig and putting together a solid junior season.
No. 95: LaDarius Brown, WR, TCU -- Brown caught 95 passes in two seasons, but a February 2014 arrest for marijuana possession ended his time in Fort Worth early. Brown was kicked off the team and went on to enroll at Sam Houston State. He led the FCS Bearkats in receiving yards (807) and touchdown catches (seven) this season.
No. 101: Nathan Hughes, DE, Oklahoma -- Sooner coaches moved the 6-foot-6 Hughes over from defensive end to offensive tackle, but he never saw the field in two seasons at OU. He left the program in the spring of 2013 and that appears to have been the end of his playing days.
No. 103: Jordan Wade, DT, Oklahoma -- Wade was thrust into the starting lineup for eight starts as a redshirt freshman in 2013, then was relegated to more of a reserve role last season after Matthew Romar beat him out for the top backup duties at nose tackle. Wade appeared in six games and recorded nine tackles.
No. 119: Jordan Phillips, DT, Oklahoma -- Even if he only started 17 games, Phillips played up to his high potential in three seasons before electing to enter the NFL draft early. The big 6-foot-6, 334-pound lineman logged 39 stops and seven tackles for loss as a junior, a nice bounce-back year after a back injury shut down his 2013 season after four games.
No. 124: Herschel Sims, RB, Oklahoma State -- Sims was dismissed from OSU in the summer of 2012 after being charged with forgery for withdrawing $700 from a teammate’s bank account. He pleaded guilty and received an 18-month deferred sentence, then enrolled at Lamar but quit the team midway through the 2012 season. So, he went home to Abilene Christian. After sitting out 2013 as a transfer, Sims rushed for 559 yards and four scores for ACU this fall and still has one season remaining.
No. 133: Leroy Scott, CB, Texas -- One of the first players Strong dismissed when he took over at Texas. Scott did show promise at times, playing in 38 games and sharing UT’s special-teams player of year honor in 2013. He recovered three fumbles that season and was poised to take on a bigger role before his departure.